'91 All World #101.......................$2

'91 Ringlords #40 in ring wearing championship belt.......$4

1983 Topps Olympic Heroes(Cassius Clay) #7.............$5

As Cassius Clay, he won a light heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. Although most boxing people did not take hime seriously. He was too unorthodox to ever be a champion.

In 1964, he challenged Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title. A significant underdog, Clay "Shocked the World" by forcing Liston to retire on his stool after the sixth round. After the fight Clay would use this opportunity to make a political statement and announced that he accepted the teachings of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. It was also an announcement that many people felt was unamerican and set a tone for the rest of his career.

Ali was both arrogant and charismatic and generated a wide range of emotions from those who loved him and hated him. He often predicted the round in which he would win and wrote poems describing how he would defeat opponents. So talented and so fast was Ali(or arrogant), that he was able to box while holding his left hand by his side and often pulled straight back to avoid punches, two of the game's cardinal sins. He used these moves to embarass his opponents.

Then in 1967, Ali, citing his religous beliefs, refused induction into the U.S. Army(another move many thought was anti American). He was arrested(but never tried or convicted while many conscientious objectors scurried to Canada to avoid prosecution), had his boxing license suspended and stripped of the heavyweight title. He was inactive from March 22, 1967 to October 26, 1970, which many feel were his peak years.

With Ali gone, Joe Frazier dominated the heavyweight division and earned the title of heavyweight champion. Ali returned in 1970 with wins over Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena, setting up a showdown between Ali and Frazier. Both men were unbeaten and while Frazier earned his heavyweight title in the ring, Ali proclaimed himself the peoples' champion and that Frazier must beat him to become undisputed king of the division. So he did it. Frazier dropped Ali in the 15th round and won a unanimous decision.

'99 Wheaties box

Ali regained the heavyweight crown in 1974 by beating then Heavyweight and former Olympic Champion George Foreman. The fight was held in Kinsasha, Zaire and Ali employed the now famous Rope-A-Dope to tire Foreman out before stopping him in the eighth round.

The new Heavyweight Champ dubbed himself "The Greatest". Howard Cosell gave him a stage and he became a superstar. Regardless of his arrogance and antics, he employed the best jab in boxing and had handspeed comparable to a welterweight.

Ali successfully defended the title against a host of contenders, including the final fights of his trilogies with Frazier and Ken Norton. Finally, in 1978, Olympic gold medalist Leon Spinks, participating in just his eighth pro fight, upset Ali to win the title. However, Ali made history six months later when he defeated Spinks in a rematch to capture the crown a third time. Ali ended his career with two more fights and both ended in defeat. He was stopped by Larry Holmes, a former sparring partner and then the WBC heavyweight champion in 1980 and lost a 10-round decision to future champ Trevor Berbick in 1981.

Ali mellowed with age and became a great embassador for boxing. I was at the Hall of Fame inductions. Ali had said he could not be their. His car drove up while the other champions were getting their fists cast. He insisted on getting out in the crowd. The people were all over him, they loved him. Even the champions in the hall were excited to see him. He truly was "The Greatest"!

1971 Ali/Frazier Fujeira Stamps